Customers had tears in their eyes when they learned that Lange’s of Scarsdale, a village landmark, would close its doors on Friday May 31. Opened in 1972, the deli looms large in the history of the ‘Dale and has been the favored destination for peopl...

School Budget Passes with 79.65% Approval Rate, Three New Board Members Elected

Carl Finger, Karen Ceske and Ron Schulhof were elected to the Scarsdale School Board.Three new members of the Board of Education were elected, and a $160.7 million 2019-20 school budget passed in Scarsdale on Tuesday May 21, 2019. The mood was mellow as current board members, nominees, administrators, PTA volunteers, family and friends gathered to hear the vote count after the 9 pm close of the polls.

With no contested elections for board seats and little controversy about the school budget --which raises school taxes by only 1.63% --voter turnout was the lowest it’s been in the last ten years. However, the school budget passed with 360 yes votes, representing a 79.65% approval rate.

Three new board members will take seats at the table in July 2020.

Karen Ceske, a former PT Council President received 385 votes.

Carl Finger, an attorney and former Trustee of Scarsdale Village received 349 votes.

Ron Schulhof, a champion of sustainability initiatives received 345 votes

They replace three retiring members of the Board:

Bill Natbony who served six years on the Board and was president for the 2018-19 school year.

Lee Maude, who also served six years, including two years as president from 2016-2018.

Nina Cannon who served one term on the Board and opted not to run for a second term due to professional commitments.

The three new members will serve with continuing members, Pam Fuehrer, Chris Morin, Scott Silberfein and Alison Singer.

Two propositions regarding school board elections also passed.

Proposition #1 stipulates that Board members will be elected at large rather than to fill specific seats. This will prevent candidates from targeting a specific candidate for a seat on the Board and will award the seat to whoever receives the most votes. This proposition passed with 338 votes.

Proposition #2 allows qualified voters to register to vote in a school election with the District Clerk during regular hours. This passed with 414 votes.

This past school year was marked by the completion of some large facilities projects, concern about school security and discussions about the district gift policy and a proposed $800,000 donation from Maroon and White to install lights on Butler Field.

Attorney and Commentator Mimi Rocah Shares Her Views on Trump, Mueller and Barr

So how does a very successful lawyer with years of experience in the U.S. Attorneys Office end up as a legal pundit on television? According to Scarsdale resident and MSNBC commentator Mimi Rocah her decision to enter the world of media was accidental.

In fact, she says, when she was an attorney involved in prosecuting high profile cases, the press was frowned upon. Her goal was to keep the press at bay and the specifics of her work under wraps.

But a comment by President Trump caused her to reconsider her plans. In late October 2017 she had made a decision to leave the U.S. Attorneys’ Office and became a criminal justice fellow at Pace University School of Law. Discussing the terrorist attack at the bike path in lower Manhattan that killed eight people, she heard the President call our justice system "a joke” and a "laughing stock."

Rocah said, “I couldn’t believe what I heard. I decided I wanted to go on TV to respond.”

Rocah took a night off from her job at MSNBC to speak to locals at an evening sponsored by the Scarsdale Adult School on May 21 at Scarsdale High School. Attorney Mike Shuster posed questions and the two had a fascinating conversation about the current political scene.

Discussing the difference between her work as a lawyer and her appearances on television, Rocah said, “The law is about nuance and looking at the case from different perspectives. On TV you have to shorten everything into a short sound bite.”

About the Mueller report she said, “There was a huge hiccup in the rollout – it was deceptive and misleading by Attorney General Bill Barr – I was surprised. I am surprised when people are unethical and misleading….Barr could have released the executive summaries or waited and released the whole report. Instead he released a summary that was inaccurate.”

She continued, “The Democrats need to get the information out to the American people. The information is so damning. Hearings are one way to do that. They need live testimony, little summaries and excerpts.”

Should Mueller testify? Rocah said, “Congressman Jerry Nadler tabled the idea of Mueller testifying before Congress. I disagree. He is the first person they should get. It would get the report out. His testimony would be reserved and conservative. It’s important to find out if the investigation wound up due to pressure from Barr. Mueller has come out relatively unscathed. It would be a great service to the public for him to testify.”

Rocah was one of 1,000 former federal prosecutors who signed a letter saying that Trump’s conduct was obstruction of justice. She said, he “He falsified evidence and told people to lie to cover it up. We rely on the integrity of witnesses – and Trump tried to get rid of the process. He engaged in witness intimidation and witness tampering when he told Manafort, Flynn and Cohen to “stay strong.” She continued, “When Cohen turned, Trump threatened him – and Cohen’s father-in-law. When you look at the conduct it so obvious that it is obstruction. These cases should be taken seriously. Mueller essentially said, but for the fact that Trump is the President he would have charged Trump with obstruction.”

Asked if she felt that the office of the Southern District is operating correctly, Rocah responded “Yes. The people who are in charge there know of the independence of the office. But I don’t think they are going to indict Trump. They had evidence of campaign finance violations regarding the payoffs of the women – but they are not prosecuting him. They are not bringing charges. This is a proven felony. Congress could have acted on that a long time ago.”

Asked if there were things that are working that give her encouragement Rocah replied, “I have less faith than I used to because of Bill Barr. Trump is enabled by an Attorney General who acts as his defense lawyer. I knew of people who respected him who have been shocked by Barr’s behavior. That is the most frightening and discouraging thing.”

She added, “If Trump is not elected in 2020, I do think he will be indicted possibly for things he did before he was in office or for things that he did while in office.”

And will the Attorney General suffer for his vile behavior?

Rocah predicted, “I think his reputation will suffer. This will be his legacy – as Trump’s Roy Cohn.”

Lange's Deli to Close After 47 Years in Scarsdale

Customers had tears in their eyes when they learned that Lange’s of Scarsdale, a village landmark, would close its doors on Friday May 31. Opened in 1972, the deli looms large in the history of the ‘Dale and has been the favored destination for people of all ages for almost 50 years.

The restaurant has embedded itself in the life of the village, serving hot chocolate and marshmallows at the Christmas tree lighting, grilling burgers and hotdogs at the Sidewalk Sale and serving donuts at Breakfast with Santa.

Their sandwiches are famous among high school alumni who savor the “Grand Canyon” -- chicken cutlet with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a roll and the “Buffalo Bill,” chicken cutlet, lettuce tomato, hot sauce and blue cheese dressing on a roll.

Two sandwiches on the menu were even named after high school alumni – the Mr. Joe – chicken cutlet, bacon, lettuce, tomato, honey mustard and melted mozzarella -- is named after Joe Zakierski and the JCAS with eggplant, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and pesto is named for Jared Casden.

Why the decision to close? Owner Tony Domini shook his head as he listed several reasons for his financial woes. He said that overall business had fallen 50% from Lange’s best years and that their catering business had dried up. For several years, Lange’s was supplying school lunches to the elementary schools, but with the decision to retain Chartwells to provide school lunches, that business was also lost. The opening of the learning commons with a salad bar at Scarsdale High School also contributed to the loss of students coming in for salad at lunchtime.

Though Tony didn’t discuss it, the decision seven years ago to expand into the neighboring site and open a pizzaria may also have contributed to his losses. The new restaurant had to be built out, and the rent had to be paid for both locations. Customers enjoyed the expanded site but did not seem to be consuming much pizza.

One fan noted that people’s dietary habits have evolved as well. Rather than having a Reuben sandwich for lunch they may be opting for healthier choices like an acai bowl. Undoubtedly Lange’s also faced competition from the plethora of online food apps such as Uber eats and Door Dash.

Lange’s was a good neighbor to the Village and served as an informal meeting spot for locals who sat for hours with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Their outdoor seating area was also a popular hangout and they generated good foot traffic for other stores in the Village. The restaurant employed a tight group of 21 cooks and servers, who will be missed, and will all be looking for new jobs.

Scarsdale Village has been struggling to maintain retail tenants, and the loss of Lange’s, on the busy intersection of Chase Road and Spencer Place, hits hard.

The sad news inspired Deborah Skolnik, poetess and author of Gentle Scarsdale Satire to write a new verse which she graciously shared with us --- and with you:

College Admissions: It's More About Prestige, Ego and Bragging Rights than Student Success

The widely reported college admissions scandal has become a hot topic among parents of college-bound students. The dishonesty that prevailed among members of the highest echelons of society – business executives, actors, law firm partners, doctors – is staggering. It feeds the narrative that wealthy people in the United States have an unfair advantage in gaining their children’s admission to top colleges and universities. This, in turn, adds to the political polarization that prevails today and the class warfare narrative that sadly informs some modern day politicians and commentators.

Most people with whom I’ve discussed the matter view the scandal with disgust. They are taken aback by the dishonesty, lack of ethics, and the influence of money and power in a system that is supposed to be merit-based. A common refrain is a lament of many students’ and parents’ focus on college rankings and a small subset of elite schools, which can have an unhealthy impact on the experience of high school students throughout the already stressful college admissions process. I believe the scandal illuminates the reality that in a competitive community such as Scarsdale, admission to college causes families to lose perspective. Most people would not cheat or buy their way to their kids’ acceptance to a top school. Still, the lengths to which some will go are concerning. Many families spend thousands and thousands of dollars on test prep for the ACT or SAT; kids are encouraged to engage in year-round athletics; they assume burdensome academic schedules; they suffer sleep deprivation; and they otherwise engage in excessive behaviors over multi-year periods in response to the pressure to get into their dream school. While I’d like to think my wife and I have completely avoided these behaviors with our own kids, that would be an overstatement.

There are other factors at play insofar as parents are concerned. People are influenced by what they hear at community events, on the sidelines at school athletic contests and at cocktail parties. Before one knows it, which college your child is attending becomes a barometer of how good a parent you’ve been. Similarly, students succumb to the buzz in class, in the hallways and at practices and their sense of self-worth is tied up in the name of a college.

In short, in affluent communities it can seem like everyone is gunning for admission to a top school. We might recognize deep down that college is not really about a prize or status, but then emotions, competitiveness and insecurity create a reflexive desire for admission to the most selective school. There’s no question that most of us want the best for ourselves and our children. So, the logic goes, college selectivity must be tied to quality.

But that’s where the logic, to some extent, ends. As I wrote in an earlier column for Scarsdale10583.com, studies repeatedly show that the greatest early determinant of career success for most students from upper middle class and wealthy families – measured by lifetime income – are the academic credentials of the student applying to college, and not the identity of the college. In other words, all things being equal, take two highly motivated students with identical grades and identical standardized test scores, send one to an elite college and one to a middle-of-the road state school, and the data consistently shows that their lifetime earnings will be roughly equivalent. (Minority students and students from less wealthy families do tend to earn more than their peers if they attend an elite college, with the most common explanation given that the institutions have broader professional networks that help facilitate early career advancement.)

For most of us in Scarsdale, the reality is that whatever motivates the college application rat race to get into the best school possible, it’s more about prestige, ego and bragging rights, and not about the student’s future career prospects. As we ponder the lessons of the college admissions scandal, we’d be well served to re-evaluate our priorities and recognize that when it comes to helping our children get into an elite school, it’s as much about our own status as it is our children’s future success.

Do you have comments on the college admission scandal? Share them below!